GREELEY, COLO. – Myron Snyder, a 24 year Greeley Stampede volunteer, recently was named the Top Hand of the Year award winner for 2015 by his peers.
The Top Hand award is given out annually through the Stampede’s volunteer support group the Wranglers, and is given to the group’s most outstanding member during the previous year. Snyder will also be recognized during the 95th annual Greeley Stampede this summer.
“It’s his positive attitude and work ethic that made Myron the obvious choice for this year’s Top Hand award,” said Wrangler President Nichole Lichtenberg. “You can find Myron on the park 24-hours a day, smiling.”
Currently 300 members strong, the Wranglers include the Stampede’s longest standing volunteers. The membership is in charge of putting on one of the region’s largest and most recognizable western celebrations. This group handles everything from the traffic that comes with such a large event to the cold beverages Stampede patrons enjoy once on the grounds, and it’s the ice that keeps these drinks cool that sets Snyder apart.
Snyder serves on the vendor subcommittee of the larger beverage committee. A large portion of his work during the Stampede is to make sure the vendors throughout the park have ice, and he’s great at it, according to Lichtenberg: “We call him the ‘Ice Man,’ for a reason” said Lichtenberg.
“I’ve been a volunteer on the Wranglers for a long time,” said Snyder. “I love the work I do, I love the people I work with and meet here, so I was overwhelmed with joy to be recognized as the 2015 top Hand.”
In addition to the award, Snyder will assume a leadership position and serve as trail boss – the volunteer in charge of each of the 11 Wrangler groups – for the vendor subcommittee in 2016.
“On behalf of the entire general committee, I’d like to congratulate Myron on a very well deserved accolade,” said general chairman Patty Gates. “Myron is a great representation of our volunteers and we thank them for their hard work every year. Without them, there is no Stampede.”
Lichtenberg added that the Wranglers are always looking for new volunteers for future events.
ABOUT THE GREELEY STAMPEDE: The Greeley Stampede is the World’s Largest Fourth of July Rodeo and Western Celebration. This longstanding event has grown in diversity and popularity since its inception and has provided music and rodeo entertainment to hundreds of thousands of people every summer. The Stampede was inducted in the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2014 and the event was named 2015 Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) Mountain States Large Rodeo of the Year. The Stampede will be celebrating its 95th annual event in 2016. For more information about the Greeley Stampede visit
www.greeleystampede.org.
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